JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville University women's soccer team (2-0-0) earned the victory against FIU (1-1-0) in its home opener, despite battling multiple obstacles throughout the second half. JU's 3-2 win marks the first home triumph under the instruction of head coach John Constable. 

The Dolphins took control early, as freshman Selma Forher launched the ball into the back of the net on a pass from Beyonce Robinson, to put JU on the board in the first minute of the game. Less than two minutes later, Fohrer struck again after heading the ball past the goalkeeper, to change the score to 2-0. 

JU remained ahead by the two goals going into halftime after dominating on offense against the Panthers. The Dolphins attempted seven shots and held possession for over 50 percent of the half.
 

Despite a successful start, the Dolphins began to endure obstacles during the second half as FIU returned to the field stronger than before. 

Gathering more of a presence on offense, the Panthers made its way onto the board after Elli Kainulainen scored at the 47:15 mark.  Shortly after, Fohrer was forced to exit the game after receiving a red card. This would leave the Dolphins with only 10 players to compete on the field. 

"When you play a man down the team can go one of two ways," head coach John Constable said. "They can either get motivated to play harder or feel sorry for themselves." 

Taking advantage of one less body in the Dolphins lineup, the Panthers rolled past the JU offense to put the ball away at the 60:20 mark, and tie the game at two. 

However, a tie game did not rattle the Dolphins, as JU began to pick up speed and eventually put the ball back onto the Panthers side of the field.  Redshirt sophomore Olivia Abdallah became the hero for the Dolphins late in the game, as she scored from a pass by Lola Negrete to put the Dolphins ahead 3-2 at the 85: 29 mark. 

Less than five minutes later, the final whistle blew as the JU bench erupted onto the field to celebrate its first home win since September of 2018. 
 

"After the last goal was scored, I could not help but feel so proud of our team at that moment and how they worked to achieve that," head coach John Constable said. "They battled the Florida heat, injuries and being a man down, this team is all about heart and grit." 

Next, the Dolphins will travel to Georgia Southern to compete against the Eagles on Thursday, August 26. The contest is set for 4:00 ET.